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2003

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The Middle Class Fourth Amendment, Craig M. Bradley Jan 2003

The Middle Class Fourth Amendment, Craig M. Bradley

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

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Abundance Trends And Environmental Habitat Usage Patterns Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) In Lower Barataria And Caminada Bays, Louisiana, Cara Edina Miller Jan 2003

Abundance Trends And Environmental Habitat Usage Patterns Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) In Lower Barataria And Caminada Bays, Louisiana, Cara Edina Miller

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The paucity of research into the environmental requirements, stock membership, abundance and residency patterns of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in coastal Louisiana creates difficulty in understanding how local ecosystems and threats (such as fishery interactions, habitat degradation and pollution) affect populations. This study combined fine-scale environmental measurements and photo-identification techniques to describe patterns of habitat usage and abundance of bottlenose dolphins in lower Barataria Basin from June 1999 to May 2002. In addition I investigated the validity and limitations of using mark-recapture models to estimate abundance from cetacean photo-identification data. Bottlenose dolphins were present year-round in a wide range of …

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Improvement Of Kenaf Yarn For Apparel Applications, Ting Zhang Jan 2003

Improvement Of Kenaf Yarn For Apparel Applications, Ting Zhang

LSU Master's Theses

The objectives of the research are to determine the impact of the retting methods and blending percentage on the properties of kenaf fiber as well as the yarns and fabrics that contain kenaf, and to analyze and characterize kenaf fiber and yarns and fabrics that contain kenaf in terms of physical properties, such as tensile strength, elongation, evenness, absorbency and surface characteristics. In this research, kenaf fiber bundles were treated by chemical methods and softened to improve fiber properties. The treated fibers then were blended with cotton having 0, 10%, 25%, and 50% blending ratio and spun into yarns with …

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Gauss' Method Of Least Squares: An Historically-Based Introduction, Belinda B. Brand Jan 2003

Gauss' Method Of Least Squares: An Historically-Based Introduction, Belinda B. Brand

LSU Master's Theses

This work presents Gauss' justification of the method of least squares, following the treatment given by Gauss himself in "Theoria Combinationis Observationum Erroribus Minimis Obnoxiae," where the main idea is to show that the least squares estimate is the unbiased linear estimate of minimum variance. (Actually, we present Gauss' argument both in his terminology and translated into matrix terminology.) We show how this contrasts with Gauss' earlier justfication in "Theoria Motus Corporum Coelestium" which was based on the assumption of a normal distribution of errors, and yielded the estimate of maximum likelihood. We present as a background the development from …

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The Role Of Dottie In Tracy Letts' Killer Joe: A Production Thesis In Acting, Elizabeth Jane King Jan 2003

The Role Of Dottie In Tracy Letts' Killer Joe: A Production Thesis In Acting, Elizabeth Jane King

LSU Master's Theses

The role of Dottie in Killer Joe by Tracy Letts was selected as a thesis project spring semester of 2003. This thesis is a written record of the actor’s work on the character of Dottie throughout the rehearsal process in the form of a rehearsal journal and a character analysis.

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How Should Sports Organizations Handle A Crisis?: A Focus On Collegiate Institutions, Jamie Mabile Delatte Jan 2003

How Should Sports Organizations Handle A Crisis?: A Focus On Collegiate Institutions, Jamie Mabile Delatte

LSU Master's Theses

The sports industry is big business just like any other big business. Sports organizations face various crises just as corporate America does. A survey of 345 professional and college level sports organizations revealed that 70% of them experienced a crisis in 1997, while the Los Angeles Times reported that 220 college athletes were the focus of criminal charges in 1995. "Sports crises are clearly more frequent today than ever before," said Kathleen Hessert. Mike Paul agrees with that trend based on his research, attributing the trend to poor life choices away from the sport. What is a crisis? A crisis …

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An Experimental Study Of The Applicability Of Flooding Phenomena To The Dynamic Lubrication Method Of Well Control, Rishi R. Ramtahal Jan 2003

An Experimental Study Of The Applicability Of Flooding Phenomena To The Dynamic Lubrication Method Of Well Control, Rishi R. Ramtahal

LSU Master's Theses

This research investigates the feasibility of the dynamic lubrication method of well control as an alternative to conventional stepwise lubrication. The applicability of flooding phenomena to dynamic lubrication and its use in an optimization method to maximize pumping rates was also investigated. An experimental approach was taken in which experiments were conducted in a 13’ long laboratory apparatus designed to emulate the geometry in a wellhead and also in a full-scale research well. The laboratory experiments were conducted to visually investigate the mechanism of flooding and derive a flooding correlation applicable to this type of system. The full-scale experiments were …

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Forensic Dentistry: Dental Indicators For Identification, Jennifer Gail Hopper Mcclanahan Jan 2003

Forensic Dentistry: Dental Indicators For Identification, Jennifer Gail Hopper Mcclanahan

LSU Master's Theses

The use of dentition for identification has been well established in the field of forensics. However, dental analysis has been employed primarily for positive personal identification. The purpose of this thesis research is to explore the possibility of using dental characteristics for general profiling of the decedent. Dental characteristics, including caries and dental restorations, were examined in the dentition of 41 modern forensic cases in the LSU FACES Collection. Twenty-one of these cases are positively identified individuals whose remains were donated to the university. The other 20 cases are active forensic cases which have not been identified. The general profiling …

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Stereotyping Of Women In Television Advertisement, Vaishali Shrikhande Jan 2003

Stereotyping Of Women In Television Advertisement, Vaishali Shrikhande

LSU Master's Theses

This study examined the portrayal of women in television commercials and documented the stereotypes associated with women in today’s television commercials. Content analysis was chosen as a method of inquiry for this study. Two hundred and twenty six advertisements were recorded from the three chosen networks, ABC, CBS and NBC. No local advertisements or public service announcements were included in the sample. Each advertisement was initially coded for the central figure, whether the central figure was a male or a female. In addition, each central figure in the advertisement was coded for the following categories: 1) age; 2) product use; …

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Five Films Of Steven Soderbergh, Donald Beale Jan 2003

Five Films Of Steven Soderbergh, Donald Beale

LSU Master's Theses

This study examines five films of Steven Soderbergh: sex, lies, and videotape (1989), The Underneath (1995), Out of Sight (1998), The Limey (1999), and Traffic (2000). For each film, themes and cinematic form and technique are analyzed with the intent of demonstrating a consistent authorial voice of the director. The investigation reveals that common themes include the protagonist at odds with the world about him, journey, ambiguities and uncertainties in the characters' worlds, and the nondichotomous nature of reality, especially in regard to morality. The study also argues that Soderbergh has evolved a style that favors a nonlinear narrative and …

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Regional Water Quality Models For The Prediction Of Eutrophication Endpoints, Anindita Das Jan 2003

Regional Water Quality Models For The Prediction Of Eutrophication Endpoints, Anindita Das

LSU Master's Theses

Eutrophication is a process by which a waterbody progresses from its origin to its extinction. During this period, there is a gradual accumulation of nutrients and organic biomass, accompanied by a decrease in average depth of the water due to sediment accumulation, and an increase in primary productivity, usually in the form of dense algal blooms. Cultural eutrophication occurs when humans, through their various activities, greatly accelerate this process. Eutrophication can cause loss in species diversity, fish kills, and decrease the aesthetic value of a waterbody. The EPA is trying to prevent cultural eutrophication by setting standards for water quality …

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Adaptive Image Filtering Using Run-Time Reconfiguration, Nitin Srivastava Jan 2003

Adaptive Image Filtering Using Run-Time Reconfiguration, Nitin Srivastava

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis implements an adaptive linear smoothing image filtering algorithm, on a Virtex™-E FPGA using run-time reconfiguration (RTR). An adaptive filter uses a filtering window that runs over the entire image pixel-by-pixel, generating new (filtered) values of the pixels. As the name suggests, an adaptive filter can adapt to the varying nature of an image by adjusting the coefficients of the filtering window depending upon the local variance in the intensity values of pixels. It filters an image in a non-uniform fashion providing greater smoothing in largely uniform areas of the image and lesser smoothing when it encounters edges and …

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Fine-Scaled Movements And Habitat Use Of Black Bears In South Central Louisiana, Dwayne Allen Hightower Jan 2003

Fine-Scaled Movements And Habitat Use Of Black Bears In South Central Louisiana, Dwayne Allen Hightower

LSU Master's Theses

Animal movements are related to many parameters of interest such as the search for food and other life requisites. Several measures, including home range, have been used to quantify and describe animal movement. However, fine-scaled movements of mammals have received less attention even though they are more directly related to energy expended for locating resources and provide information on how a home range is used. I tracked radiotagged female black bears (Ursus americanus) from two geographically separate populations in the Atchafalaya River Basin in south central Louisiana: the Coastal population at the southern extent and the Inland population at the …

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Experimental Evaluation Of Temporal Particle Agglomeration And Metal Partitioning Of Urban Rainfall-Runoff, Aimee Ann Blazier Jan 2003

Experimental Evaluation Of Temporal Particle Agglomeration And Metal Partitioning Of Urban Rainfall-Runoff, Aimee Ann Blazier

LSU Master's Theses

Rainfall-runoff quantity and quality control presents unique challenges due to the complexity and variability of hydrology and rainfall-runoff chemistry as well as the variable nature of constituent-producing processes in the environment. This study investigates two fundamental processes in rainfall-runoff: temporal particle agglomeration and metal partitioning between the solid and aqueous phase. A series of rainfall-runoff events were captured at an urban, Portland concrete cement (PCC) paved site in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and characterized with respect to particle gradation and metal phase fractions (dissolved and particulate) over time from a well-mixed, batch experimental system. Results indicate that equilibria and kinetics of …

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Relative Efficacy Of School-Home Notes With And Without Response Cost In Impoverished Elementary School Students With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Andrea Nichole Jurbergs Jan 2003

Relative Efficacy Of School-Home Notes With And Without Response Cost In Impoverished Elementary School Students With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Andrea Nichole Jurbergs

LSU Master's Theses

Daily report cards and punishment have proven to be effective methods of classroom behavior management. However, treatment effectiveness studies have not been designed to adequately compare the effects of rewarding and punishing consequences on behavior through a school-home note. The study of school-home note treatment effectiveness has focused on middle-class students with behavior problems; both ADHD and disadvantaged populations have been underresearched. Using a reversal, alternating treatments design, the present study will examine the effectiveness of a response-cost system added to school-home notes for increasing classwork completion and appropriate classroom behavior in several disadvantaged elementary school children with ADHD.

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Re-Evaluating The Mausoleum Of Galla Placidia, Lisa Onontiyoh West Jan 2003

Re-Evaluating The Mausoleum Of Galla Placidia, Lisa Onontiyoh West

LSU Master's Theses

The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia has generated a lengthy bibliography over the centuries but, in spite of repeated investigations, the north and south arm barrel vaults have received almost no attention. Commentary on these areas of the mosaic program is usually brief and limited to a comparison between the appearance of the barrel vaults and patterns found in various textiles, such as carpets. This thesis seeks to fill the void in the body of scholarly research pertaining to the north and south arm barrel vaults by viewing their decorative motifs through the eyes of a fifth-century Christian. When seen from …

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Clear Sailing Agreements: A Special Form Of Collusion In Class Action Settlements, William D. Henderson Jan 2003

Clear Sailing Agreements: A Special Form Of Collusion In Class Action Settlements, William D. Henderson

Articles by Maurer Faculty

A clear sailing agreement (or clause) is a compromise in which a class action defendant agrees not to contest the class lawyer's petition for attorneys' fees. This Article argues that clear sailing provisions often facilitate collusive settlements in cases involving non-pecuniary relief or claims-made common funds that return all unclaimed monies to the defendant. Because these types of settlements present difficult valuation problems, trial courts lack a clear benchmark for calculating attorneys' fees. Defendants and class can exploit this uncertainty by presenting an inflated settlement value to the court (to justify higher attorneys' fees) while simultaneously reducing the true cost …

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Scalable Parallel Molecular Dynamics Algorithms For Organic Systems, Satyavani Vemparala Jan 2003

Scalable Parallel Molecular Dynamics Algorithms For Organic Systems, Satyavani Vemparala

LSU Master's Theses

A scalable parallel algorithm, Macro-Molecular Dynamics (MMD), has been developed for large-scale molecular dynamics simulations of organic macromolecules, based on space-time multi-resolution techniques and dynamic management of distributed lists. The algorithm also includes the calculation of long range forces using Fast Multipole Method (FMM). FMM is based on the octree data structure, in which each parent cell is divided into 8 child cells and this division continues until the cell size is equal to the non-bonded interaction cutoff length. Due to constant number of operations performed at each stage of the octree, the FMM algorithm scales as O(N). Design and …

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Anticompetitive Settlement Of Intellectual Property Disputes, Mark D. Janis, Herbert J. Hovenkamp, Mark A. Lemley Jan 2003

Anticompetitive Settlement Of Intellectual Property Disputes, Mark D. Janis, Herbert J. Hovenkamp, Mark A. Lemley

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

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Evaluation Of Computerized Reading Intervention, Jennifer Lynne Koenig Jan 2003

Evaluation Of Computerized Reading Intervention, Jennifer Lynne Koenig

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a computer-based reading intervention with eight elementary school children. This program, called the Reading Center, utilizes repeated reading, listening passage preview, word drills, and comprehension questions. A multiple baseline design was used to evaluate the intervention effects on oral reading fluency. Results indicated growth in all eight children, with increases between 8.7 and 20 words per week for intervention passages. The implications of the results for the use of computer-delivered interventions are discussed.

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The Integration Of A Formal Garden Curriculum Into Louisiana Public Elementary Schools, Leanna Lynn Smith Jan 2003

The Integration Of A Formal Garden Curriculum Into Louisiana Public Elementary Schools, Leanna Lynn Smith

LSU Master's Theses

School gardens have been and are in use today at schools around the United States to supplement their curriculum. Very little research, however, has been conducted to quantify the benefits that gardening provides to students. The first four chapters of a hands-on gardening curriculum (Junior Master Gardener Handbook Level One) were introduced into three East Baton Rouge Parish elementary schools the fall semester of 2002. Science achievement tests developed at Texas A&M University specifically for the Junior Master Gardener program, were given both before and after the students participated in the gardening activities to determine whether or not the activities …

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Mathematical Modeling Analysis Of Floating Bead Biofilter Applications To Domestic Wastewater Treatment, Qiang Wu Jan 2003

Mathematical Modeling Analysis Of Floating Bead Biofilter Applications To Domestic Wastewater Treatment, Qiang Wu

LSU Master's Theses

Floating Bead Biofilters (FBFs) have been applied to aquacultural recirculating tanks and domestic wastewater treatment systems for controlling total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and total suspended solids (TSS). Support modified media in these FBFs provide a large surface area (1150~1475 m2/m3) so that the active biofilm can be retained in the FBF by attaching to the media surface. Understanding the theories involved in biofilm processes greatly helps in sizing, designing, and modeling of FBF systems. Fundamental biofilm processes like mass transport of various substrates into the biofilm and the substrate utilization within the biofilm were studied. A …

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Street Fighting: Lessons Learned From The Battle For Hue For 21st Century Urban Warfare, Edward J. O'Neill Jan 2003

Street Fighting: Lessons Learned From The Battle For Hue For 21st Century Urban Warfare, Edward J. O'Neill

LSU Master's Theses

Increasing urbanization in a global setting of political and economic instability indicates that urban warfare may well be the major conflict scenario of the 21st century. The United States armed forces are not currently prepared to meet that challenge. The last major urban conflict involving the American military was the Battle of Hue during the Vietnam War. As part of the Tet Offensive in 1968, Communist forces seized control of Hue and held it for nearly a month. Having undergone intensive tactical training for their mission, the enemy, solidly entrenched in buildings of various kinds, offered fierce resistance to the …

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Developing Risk Assessment Maps For Schistosoma Haematobium In Kenya Based On Climate Grids And Remotely Sensed Data, Kelsey Lee Mcnally Jan 2003

Developing Risk Assessment Maps For Schistosoma Haematobium In Kenya Based On Climate Grids And Remotely Sensed Data, Kelsey Lee Mcnally

LSU Master's Theses

It is important to be able to predict the potential spread of water borne diseases when building dams or redirecting rivers. This study was designed to test whether the use of a growing degree day (GDD) climate model and remotely sensed data (RS) within a geographic information system (GIS), could be used to predict both the distribution and severity of Schistosoma haematobium. Growing degree days are defined as the number of degrees centigrade over the minimum temperature required for development. The base temperature and the number of GDD required to complete one generation varies for each species. A monthly climate …

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Assessing The Feasibility Of Supplying Vehicle Activity Data To Mobile6 Using The Global Positioning System (Gps), Srinivas Varanasi Jan 2003

Assessing The Feasibility Of Supplying Vehicle Activity Data To Mobile6 Using The Global Positioning System (Gps), Srinivas Varanasi

LSU Master's Theses

MOBILE6 is a software program developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to estimate current and future vehicle emissions. The EPA requires all states to develop emission inventories for State Implementation Plans (SIPs) and to demonstrate conformity in non-attainment areas. The primary objective of the MOBILE models is to develop emission inventories in compliance with EPA’s regulations. The research reported in this study is primarily a proof-of-concept study of the feasibility of the Global Positioning System (GPS) to supply vehicle activity data to MOBILE6. However, it also deals with identifying vehicle registration input to MOBILE6 using non-GPS sources. Input …

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Sustainable Agriculture And The Red Stick Farmers' Market: An Exploration Of The Use Of Concept In Design, Lawrence Christopher Campany Jan 2003

Sustainable Agriculture And The Red Stick Farmers' Market: An Exploration Of The Use Of Concept In Design, Lawrence Christopher Campany

LSU Master's Theses

This is a treatise on an attempt to translate a concept -- the driving principle of a design in the parlance of the design studios at the Louisiana State University School of Landscape Architecture -- into practice, form and function. If form follows function, as states the oft quoted proverb of design credited to Louis Sullivan, then perhaps as much attention should be given to the design of the function as the form. What this treatise will demonstrate is that function designed around a concept can result in physical manifestations, or forms, of that concept. In this case a concept …

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Immiscible And Miscible Gas-Oil Displacements In Porous Media, Madhav Mukund Kulkarni Jan 2003

Immiscible And Miscible Gas-Oil Displacements In Porous Media, Madhav Mukund Kulkarni

LSU Master's Theses

Gas Injection is the second largest EOR process in U.S. To increase the extent of the reservoir contacted by displacing fluids, gas and water are injected intermittently - water-alternating-gas (WAG) process, is widely practiced. This experimental study is aimed at evaluating the WAG process performance in short and long cores as a function of gas-oil miscibility and brine composition. This performance evaluation has been carried out by comparing oil recoveries between WAG injection and continuous gas injection (CGI). Miscible (2500 psi) and immiscible (500 psi) floods were conducted using Berea cores, n-Decane and two different brines, namely the commonly used …

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Reducing Phosphorus Runoff Using Poultry Litter Derived From Phytase-Amended Diets, Anserd Julius Foster Jan 2003

Reducing Phosphorus Runoff Using Poultry Litter Derived From Phytase-Amended Diets, Anserd Julius Foster

LSU Master's Theses

Surface-applied poultry litter generated using a phytase-amended diet may release less phosphorus (P) to runoff water than does litter from a conventional diet. The release of soluble reactive (SRP) and total dissolved P (TDP) from litter generated under conventional and phytase-amended diets was examined in three studies: 1) batch desorption, 2) flow-through cell, and 3) field micro-plot. In Study 1, samples of litter (10 from conventional, C, and 20 from phytase-amended, A, diets) were extracted with water at litter: water ratios from 1:5 to 1:200. Phosphorus in A litter was significantly less at the 1:10 extraction ratio; however, there was …

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Effects Of Selective Herbicide Application On Vegetation And Invertebrates For Northern Bobwhite, And Small Mammal Communities Within Managed Pine Forests, Judy Diane James Jones Jan 2003

Effects Of Selective Herbicide Application On Vegetation And Invertebrates For Northern Bobwhite, And Small Mammal Communities Within Managed Pine Forests, Judy Diane James Jones

LSU Master's Theses

Decline of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) populations during the past 30 years in southern portions of their range has increased efforts to improve habitat quality by integration of wildlife and forest management. Prescribed burns and herbicides have potential to benefit bobwhites, vegetation, invertebrates, and small mammal communities in pine-dominated systems. This study was conducted at 700-hectare Louisiana State University Idlewild Research Station of LSU's Agricultural Center in East Feliciana Parish. The experiment was conducted on 3, 10.12-hectare, 75 to 85 year-old, over-mature, uneven-aged pine stands on hilltops and sloping terrain. Experimental design included vegetation, invertebrate, and small mammal response to …

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The Rapid Template Fabrication Process For Producing A Liga Heat Exchanger Bonded To A Mechanical Seal, Jason Patrick Tuma Jan 2003

The Rapid Template Fabrication Process For Producing A Liga Heat Exchanger Bonded To A Mechanical Seal, Jason Patrick Tuma

LSU Master's Theses

Mechanical seals are widely used in the chemical processing, aerospace, and automotive, industries. When a mechanical seal fails, considerable cost is typically involved in replacing the seal. Most seal failures are a result of high temperatures generated by frictional heating. Effectively removing the heat generated would significantly increase the mechanical seal’s work life and lead to significant monetary savings. One method of removing the heat generated is bonding an effective LIGA micro heat exchanger to the mechanical seal and forcing coolant through the heat exchanger. Previous work on this subject revealed promising results, especially for micro heat exchangers with microstructures …

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